To the Beat of the Music
by dragontamer ri-chan
Summary: Sakura Haruno is an extrodinary dance instructor, but is that all there is to her? The men she teaches don't seem think so and they're determined to learn more about this mysterious blossom. MultiSaku
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! I just wanted to write a story for all the awesome people who have read and reviewed all my stories at least once. I'm dedicating this story to you. I know it's not nearly as long as it should be, but regardless I hope you enjoy it. For those of you interested in my updating status it's going to slow down unfortunately. I'm going on vacation for two weeks. Then I go back to school and before you ask I'm not taking my computer on vacation with me. Thank you for your continued patience.

Disclaimer: For those who need to ask, I don't own Naruto or its characters.

To the Beat of the Music

Chapter 1: Attractive

Izuna Uchiha could barely breathe with how fast his heart was pounding. Here he was in the Uchiha estate ballroom learning to dance. That wasn't the problem. The problem was his dance instructor. He had not been expecting a pink haired, green eyed girl who was 22 at the oldest to sweep into the ballroom as gracefully as if she was already on a dance floor.

As a 26-year-old Uchiha, certain things were expected of him. One of those things was dancing. As such, his mother signed him up for lessons with a private dance instructor. She was supposedly the best in Japan. When she came into the room she was listening to her iPod and carrying a small BOSE sound dock.

Izuna considered himself to be a rather handsome man. He attempted to tame his long spiky hair by pulling it into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Though it was still spiky and a bit wild the rest fell to the middle of his back in a soft and silky pelt. His eyes were a rich pure black. His face was similar to his brother's except Izuna's face had sharper angles to its contours.

All Uchiha were beautiful though so it wasn't as though he was exceptionally attractive like his cousins or his brother. His hair wasn't as wild as Madara's or as smooth as Itachi's. He wasn't as handsome as Sasuke or as outgoing as Shisui. For an Uchiha, he felt as though he was average at best although his faithful fan following would strongly oppose such thoughts and feelings. Since he felt that his looks were nothing special, he strived to be the most gentlemanly of Uchiha. This had made his already enormous fan base even larger and more devoted.

Crazed fan girls were his worst fear and his greatest hatred. That being the case, he was beyond relieved when his dance instructor didn't act like a psycho and try to rape him. It's happened before… twice. Izuna decided to take a good look at this girl who was basically ignoring him.

He immediately tensed at her grace, confidence, and uniquely breathtaking features as she set up her sound dock, placed her iPod in it and started to play a waltz. She was the opposite of the only timid Uchiha in the world. As if that wasn't bad enough, the moment she caught sight of his tense form she took him in her arms in a gentle hug and told him she wasn't letting go until he relaxed.

Normally, Izuna would just push her away labeling her as a fan girl. The only reason he didn't was because when she hugged him it was without expression. She held him so close he could feel her heartbeat. He was shocked and just stood there for a long while before relaxing into her touch. She let go the moment she felt him calm down. Before long she spoke again.

"If you're going to learn to dance, before you can learn the steps or positions of each individual dance you have to learn to relax in the arms of a woman. Some dances will have us far about arms length away while others will have us pressed against one another. If you can relax you'll be able to lead the woman confidently. You won't know every woman you dance with so be prepared. You will still have to relax when her arms are around you, Izuna-san."

If Izuna thought his heart was pounding before it was attempting to beat down his chest now. His heartbeat was too fast to even measure. His brain kept giving him images of this pink haired beauty wrapped around him in some of the dances he'd seen in the ballroom led by his big brother Madara. Madara was a fan of dirty dancing and no he's not talking about the movie.

Izuna blushed crimson at the thoughts he was having of this mysterious beauty. She hadn't even given her name and he already felt like putty in her hands. She had captivated him from the time she walked into the room.

"Please tell me your name. I know I need to get used to dancing with women I don't know, but I would at least like to know the name of my instructor." Izuna requested having no idea where he was getting his courage. He had been certain he would stutter.

She stunned him yet again when she smiled the most exquisite smile he'd ever seen. It was the first time she'd shown him any kind of expression and what an expression it was. Izuna felt his breath stolen from his lungs again.

"I was beginning to worry about you. You haven't made a single sound since I've arrived. I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me. I'm sorry if I came across as hard to approach. Please forgive my lack of manners, Izuna -san. My name is Sakura Haruno." She stated bowing slightly. Despite her words Izuna found her to be very polite. It was another trait to add to his growing list of things he found attractive in a woman.

"Izuna-san, I should have asked this before I set it up, but do you mind having music playing while we talk?" The beauty known as Sakura questioned with an innocent tilt of her head. She pointed to the sound dock that was still playing music.

"Aren't we going to dance?" Izuna asked blushing again at his words. He hoped they didn't sound too forward.

Sakura giggled a bit. "I'm not nearly that excellent of a teacher. I don't even know what your dominant learning style is. This will be a long session because we will use the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles together in order to find your dominant style."

Thus the first step of instruction began. Sakura pulled a packet of pictures from her purse and had Izuna examine every detail of them. He did so, eager to please her. As he went through the pictures she described each stance and step in such vivid detail that the images seemed to come to life. When the auditory and visual parts of the instruction were done they moved on to the hands on approach aka kinesthetic learning.

Sakura had met Sasuke and Itachi before and found they were visual learners. As such she was quite surprised when Izuna excelled as a kinesthetic learner. It was a rare student who was dominant in that learning style. Students who learn through touch are often hardest to teach but in dancing it's the opposite. Izuna was able to pick up the steps and postures and holds far quicker than any student Sakura had ever seen. For her this was a great relief because she wasn't sure how much longer the music would hold her together.

She found out that Izuna was quite the charmer. He would drop compliments every few moments and smile down at her. His smile was that of an angel's, and if she were any other girl she would have melted into a puddle of blushing pink goop. However Sakura was Sakura and no one else. She had a disturbing history with men. She's been trying to overcome her fear of the creatures since she was 20 by becoming a dance instructor and immersing herself in her own personal horror movie.

There were a couple problems though. She couldn't even talk to a man without music playing and giving her strength. Secondly the more charming a man was the more suspicious she became. Sakura felt if a man was civil towards her it was because they wanted something. Most people had ulterior motives to begin with when being kind in her opinion, but men could be so much more aggressive when it comes to something or _someone_ they want. Besides she didn't believe men could possibly love her because of how weak she was without music.

Sakura immediately halted her thought process. She was teaching Izuna and wouldn't allow her thoughts and feelings to interfere with her work. When she got home she would breakdown, cry, scream, and curse all men, but right now she would just let the music transport her into her own little world where she was fearless and unshakable. If only she could stay in that world, then things would be great.

Izuna noticed when Sakura stopped smiling and talking. Strangely enough it was right about the time he started to actively compliment her. It was rare for an Uchiha to worry about the wants and needs of another, but Izuna couldn't really help it. He wouldn't be so concerned if it weren't for the fact that he could feel her pulling away from him. She remained just as physically close if not closer but the laughter and her faith in herself had almost completely left her eyes.

This person that he was dancing with now seemed so fragile and vulnerable and somehow he didn't mind at all. On the contrary he wanted to protect this nearly defenseless woman from all harm. For the first time since he pulled her into his arms he did something he wasn't instructed to do. Izuna gave her hand a light squeeze and ever so slightly pulled her closer, as if attempting to close the distance she had suddenly put between them. When she looked up into his eyes with a scolding on her lips her breath stopped short. His angelic smile was back but this time it was self-assured and strong yet oh so gentle. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong or would you rather not talk about it?"

Sakura gave him a weak but genuine smile in return. "You truly are exceptional Izuna-san. Not only would most men not notice I was upset but the majority of the ones who _could _wouldn't care. I'm sorry for worrying you. Thank you for doing so but let's concentrate on your lesson. I want you to be a bit better at the waltz before we end today's lesson. Does that sound agreeable?" Sakura asked in a soft and solemn voice.

"That sounds perfectly acceptable Sakura-san." Izuna replied. Though in all honesty, "acceptable" was far too inadequate for his liking. It sounded downright wonderful. If only what happened next didn't happen.

"You're finally learning to dance, are you little brother? Why wasn't I informed? I would have been more than happy to show you how it's done as long as your teacher was willing and able." Madara Uchiha loudly announced his arrival.

Izuna wanted to shoot him. He had just felt Sakura start to relax when Madara had made his flamboyant entrance. Izuna saw her shut herself off to the world again. He felt her pull out of his arms and leave to gather her things. As soon as she left his embrace he began to feel empty and alone. At the thought that she might swoon into Madara's arms the feeling multiplied until he felt heavy with the nearly palpable disappointment.

"Wait a minute, beautiful. I can understand if you're fed up with my little brother's company but I assure you now that I'm here, we can have a grand old time!" Madara exclaimed proudly. He went over to Izuna's gorgeous dance instructor and tugged on her waist only to have her gracefully turn on her heal and punch him in the face with all her might. The only one who could have been more shocked at the display than Izuna would be Madara himself.

Madara just stood there with his mouth agape. He didn't understand how this could have possibly happened. _No one_ had ever hit him. He was an oldest son of the proud Uchiha clan. Men feared his influence and women begged for his attention. The only girl he had ever met to not give him a second glance had been a scrawny little thing with pink hair in Itachi's ball room dance class.

… Wait a minute. "It can't be. Are you Sakura Haruno?" If Madara thought he was shocked before he was positively dumbfounded now. Sakura Haruno had been a timid little thing, almost too shy to speak. That's how it was until the music played at least. According to Itachi, when music was on she morphed into a whole new person. He claimed it was like watching a very plain cocoon break open to reveal a magnificent butterfly.

Madara had always thought that Itachi had been exaggerating due to the crush he had on her, but from what he had seen in her of the fire in her eyes and the elegance of her movements he knew he was wrong. Sakura Haruno was a special one. Madara couldn't deny his intense curiosity at this new discovery. He knew there was more to her than what appeared on the surface. Her punch had told him that much.

"Have you finally remembered, Madara? I admit I'm surprised to see that such a resentful man could grow into such a horny dog. It's quite disgusting. That being said please do not interfere with Izuna's lessons in the future. I'm here to teach him not stroke your ego." Sakura hissed. Before Madara could respond to her hate filled words she put her ear-buds in her ears and left the room as elegantly as she had entered.

Izuna and Madara had never thought that someone's anger could be so attractive.


	2. Let the Music Move You

A/N: First let me start by saying this. I'M SO SORRY! Please understand that school and my pain condition has been out of control. Then there was Christmas and New Years and I couldn't update for such a long time that feel like I just abandoned you all. DON'T KILL ME! I promise I will keep updating even if it takes a while. For now please enjoy the latest chapter.

Disclaimer: For those who need to ask, I don't own Naruto or its characters. I don't own any part of the songs either.

Chapter 2: Let the Music Move You

Sakura was furious. How dare that Madara? He had touched her like she was some slut and the way he talked to her was no better. Not to mention that he acted this way after treating her like she wasn't even there in the advanced dance class she took with his cousin Itachi. _You shouldn't flirt with a woman you treated like dirt in the past._ Sakura pondered to herself.

She hadn't realized that she was practically running for her life until she collided with two more Uchiha. _Oh joy, I get to deal with more men._ Sakura thought sarcastically even as she immediately sprang away from the man she collided with on reflex. Her ear-buds fell out of her ears, and as soon as the music was gone she was ready to just call it a day and run like hell.

"Tobi, man, you really shouldn't run when we're indoors. The poor girl's going to have a bruise when she leaves, thanks to you." Another man stated as he tried to help Sakura steady herself. Of course Sakura wasn't having any of that.

"Thank you but I'm fine." Sakura dodged around him to put some distance between her and the two men. She instantly recognized one of the men to be Shisui Uchiha. He was Itachi's best friend and they were almost always together. Like Madara, Shisui had appeared more than once to pick Itachi up from dance lessons. Unlike Madara, Shisui recognized her instantly.

Shisui pouted at her. "Must you be so cold Sakura-chan? We've known each other for quite some time. Surely you're more comfortable around me by now." As if to prove his point he hugged her. Without music to guide her through it in addition to all the time she had already spent with men today, she just couldn't take it.

Sakura _flipped out_. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! _LET ME GO!_" She shouted at the top of her lungs. She didn't want them to, but nevertheless tears streamed down her face despite knowing that Shisui meant no harm. After what Madara had done it was hard enough just being close to a man. It's no surprise being hugged by one made her freak out.

When he got over his initial shock, Shisui instantly complied with her wishes. He was about to apologize profusely, but it was too late. Itachi had arrived.

A blind man could see Itachi was pissed. Everyone in the room could feel his killing intent. If Shisui still hadn't realized it through sight, the fist that connected with his gut would have told him all he needed to know. Itachi was still in love with her.

Itachi saw her, the dancing angel who haunted him to this day. He also saw his cousin and best friend holding her against her will while tears streamed down her face. His emotions ripped through him at such a terrifying velocity he shook from it. The emotions he bottled up and placed in the darkest corner of his heart took to freedom like a bird takes to the sky after a broken wing has healed.

He'd always known something bad had happened to her. Something that made her reject nearly all of human kind had acted as an invisible weight on her shoulders. That weight was only lifted when the music plays.

He remembered how, through the friendship of Ino Yamanaka and the kindness of their dance teacher Tsunade, Sakura's fear of women eased to the point where she was able to trust most women after getting to know them. Itachi had always wanted to be the man she could place her trust in but after the years of lessons she just disappeared. His cousin and brother were always pestering him to get a girlfriend and forget her but he just couldn't.

Seeing her here again made him realize that she was the one woman he could never forget. As soon as he saw the tears he was ready to rip apart the cause even if it was his best friend and blood relative. He was ready to attack Shisui when his little brother, Sasuke, appeared and joined Tobi in trying to stop him. Sasuke held him back while Tobi was crying how only "bad boys" fight. Shisui was still doubled over from the initial blow.

"What the hell are you doing Aniki?" Sasuke yelled. Itachi froze realizing that Sakura was probably scared out of mind. He broke out of Sasuke's grasp and spun around trying to find her but to no avail. The only remaining proof that she had ever been there was her broken iPod.

Shisui finally regained his breath. "Sorry Itachi. I really didn't mean to scare her."

"It's not me you should apologize to." Itachi deadpanned as he picked up the broken iPod and walked away. _If this is Cinderella's glass slipper, I wonder who the prince is._

A few hours and a pint of ice cream later Sakura was mourning the loss of her iPod. When she saw it was broken she felt it best to just leave it and get the hell out of there. She couldn't take being so close to so many men which is why she taught them one at a time. Seeing Itachi again brought back memories she would have rather kept buried.

_-Flashback-_

_A ten year old Sakura was very excited as she made her way home from school with her older stepbrother Itsuki. Her thirteen year old stepsibling had promised to play a special game with her when they got home since their parents weren't home and he was worried she might get lonely._

_They arrived home and although Itsuki had a strange look in his eyes when they went to put her stuff away she didn't think much of it. Although he used to hate her, their relationship had gotten much better in the past year. She was ecstatic that he was being so nice to her so why on earth would she question it?_

_However when they got to her room, she wished that she had wondered why he was looking so impatient, so crazed. He pounced the moment her backpack was off. He tore at her clothing and slapped her when she tried to push him away. He laughed when she started to scream and he started talking in a voice she knew all too well. The voice was full of sickening sarcasm, absolute loathing, and total disgust._

"_What's wrong little girl? Don't you want to play with me? It's a really fun game." Sakura was horrified. She didn't know what he was trying to do, but she did know one thing. Itsuki had never cared, not once. He was just waiting. He waited for her to let her guard down and she did._

_Sakura continued to scream when the door was slammed open. There in the doorway stood her mother. A mother that had heard her baby screaming her voice away was not to be trifled with. When Sayuri Haruno saw her stepson on top of her nearly naked daughter, every protective instinct in her body took hold._

"_GET OFF OF MY DAUGHTER YOU SICK LITTLE BASTARD!" Sayuri smacked the boy aside with an adrenaline filled hand. Sakura and Sayuri couldn't care less if he lost consciousness due to the blow or from hitting his head on the wall next to the bed. Though the brat never saw the inside of the Haruno house again, Sakura found more than a little difficult to place her trust in anyone. Shortly after the official divorce, Sakura stumbled upon her aunt Tsunade asking Sayuri about why she stayed with an abusive man. Sakura had thought they were talking about Itsuki until her former stepfather's name was mentioned. That was when Sakura lost her faith in men both young and old._

_-End flashback-_

Not long after that awful encounter, Sakura was enrolled in her aunt Tsunade's ballroom dance class. It was to try to get her over the trauma and it did help at the very least. She quickly fell in love with moving to the music and letting her pain and frustration out in the process. After the ballroom dance there was everything else that could be considered classical dance. After that came the contemporary stuff and then getting her teaching degree came next.

After so much dancing she was finally able to tolerate a man's presence once certain conditions were met. First there had to be a great deal of mental preparation. The next thing that came was turning on music that would guide her through all emotional turmoil. Finally she would get a feel for the man's character. Since Sakura had quickly gained a reputation as one of the best and typically only high class families would even want to hire her, most of the men she taught were gentlemen, womanizers, arrogant, or indifferent.

Sakura shook her head back and forth trying to rid it of all thoughts of men. What she needed now was a good bit of exercise. She'd tire herself out then come back and relax the rest of the day. Since she was just going for a jog in the local park Sakura decided to pull out her comfort clothes. A pair of navy blue sweats and a green tee that matched her eyes made up her exercise ensemble. She also made sure to grab her watch and her water bottle. She looked at her cell phone but decided she didn't want to be disturbed by its ringing so she left it behind.

Before long Sakura made it to the lovely park that was her favorite place to jog. The trees were to her right while the small lake was to her left. In the current autumn weather their leaves were just so beautiful. The warm, earthy colors were absolutely stunning on the large leaves that decorated each and every tree. The lake was shimmering in the sunlight. Her green eyes sparkled as they took in the beauty of the park. It was perfect for jogging.

The unpainted artwork was pumping her full of energy so she decided to pick up the pace a bit. She wasn't quite running, but after about 20 minutes she was already halfway around the basin of the lake. During the next few minutes of her run her sensitive ears picked up on a beautiful song. The closer she got to the source of the melody the more she loved it. Though she knew that the voice was undoubtedly male and said male would most likely unnerve her Sakura couldn't resist the rhythm the guitar strummed out or the lyrics sung in a deep, rough yet unarguably pleasant voice. She couldn't fight the desire to see the man who owned such an incredible voice.

Before long Sakura realized the reason she couldn't resist the melody. It was one of her favorite songs. "Can't Bring Us Down" by Austin Renfroe had a melody you just had to dance to and the man singing this had a voice that could melt ice. She looked the man over. If he hadn't been singing a favorite of hers, she never would have dared to approach a man like him. He had short, wild brown hair that went in every direction possible. He was tanned, heavily muscled and his face had a strong jaw line, straight nose, and these red triangular tattoos. All in all he looked absolutely feral. When Sakura took a step back she ended up stepping on a twig. His eyes which were closed in concentration suddenly flew open and she noticed how the irises and pupils were merely black slits contrasting greatly against the whites of his eyes.

His playing stopped. Sakura began to tremble a bit due to feeling like a rabbit in front of a hungry wolf as he just stared at her. If she were calm she would have noticed the innocent curiosity of his stare and even the worry that appeared in his eyes as he watched her have a small panic attack. Needless to say she simply wasn't that composed.

"I'm s-sorry for interrupting your p-practice, I really just w-wanted to hear some music and your playing was so soothing." To her immense surprise he started strumming again while never taking his eyes off her. Though she was still uneasy she let the music give her courage. Instantly her trembling subsided and understanding entered his gaze.

"If you want to hear music, I'm happy to oblige. I have to warn you though. My playing hasn't been that great recently. Anyway I should introduce myself. I'm Kiba. What's your name?" He asked giving a lopsided grin.

"I'm Sakura." She replied shyly. Kiba found it quite adorable and he soon found his grin had widened. "I didn't hear any mistakes in your playing. Your voice is fantastic as well. Why do you say your playing isn't what you want it to be?"

Kiba felt his smile slide off his face. "As long as you have a sense of rhythm learning chords and notes isn't that hard. If you know your voice you can find the right song for yourself as well. Memorization isn't what makes a song great. No matter how much talent you have, if there isn't any passion behind the music you can't truly make it great. You know what I mean?" He answered as he ruffled his hair. He wondered if he sounded strange.

As Sakura thought about what he was saying and realized that making music was a lot like dancing. If the singer didn't have the passion to sing it would be the same as a dancer not having any passion in their movement. Their partners or in this case, the audience would then become detached towards the music or the movements. Even if the dancer is clumsy, a good partner knows when they are trying their best and responds to it. It was a very similar relationship for the musician and the audience if what Kiba said was anything to go by.

Sakura smiled at him and when she realized that she had smiled in a guy's presence without the aid of music it turned into a full blown grin. "I think I know exactly what you mean Kiba-san. If there isn't any passion then it's nearly impossible to make others passionate about music. Perhaps what you need is a responsive audience. If you see the audience getting into it, I'll bet that you'll find your own passion returning." Sakura's courage quickly faded as Kiba openly stared at her. She was looked down to try to avoid it, missing the admiration in it. _What is it with this guy and staring at me?_ Sakura mulled in a slight panic.

Kiba was repeatedly shocked by this woman. She may as well have written the very first song in his eyes. Not only did she listen to his problems but she understood and even offered a solution. Yet whenever he felt himself getting closer to her he felt her pull away emotionally.

He'd seen something like this before. His mother had been abused by his father for many years before she finally drew the line. Unfortunately she put a stop to it only after finding out that he had nearly killed his older sister Hana. His mother got over it but his sister never did. She looked at Kiba the same way Sakura had when he first saw her. It felt like they were just waiting for him to snap and attack them. Looking at Sakura, he began to realize how truly terrified she was. Yet for some reason or another she wasn't running from him. As he'd grown up, his sister had been so scared of him that she moved out but here was this random woman going out of her way to help him when she seemed to be terrified of just being near him.

He felt the admiration in gaze intensify and almost automatically his fingers began strumming a song called "The Rescue." She immediately relaxed and to his greatest surprise yet started to dance a bit before catching and stopping herself with the most appealing blush he'd ever seen.

"You don't have to stop. Weren't you the one who said I needed a responsive audience? Let me tell you now there is no better response to music than dancing. If you're feeling the passion in my playing then just let the music move you." Kiba was practically pleading with her. He wanted so badly for her to really respond to his music. At first she looked like she wanted to run, but she hesitated when he began to sing. He wondered if she could tell he was singing for her and her alone. Then her eyes shut tight contemplating something and before he could so much as blink, they opened with a blazing determination he'd never seen before. He could barely breathe when all of a sudden she took off like a rocket. Kiba could no longer tell if she was moving to his music or if he was playing to her movements. When he paused so did she. When she moved he played.

They were doing two different things yet they knew that their love and passion for the music was the same. Kiba had never felt so close to anyone before. A crowd began to gather believing that they were putting on a show but neither noticed let alone cared. All that existed was the music and each other. Sakura was without a doubt the most glorious creature he'd ever seen.

The song ended too soon. Before he could say another word to Sakura everyone around them started clapping, breaking the trance. Kiba blinked in confusion wondering when these people had arrived. He turned to Sakura only to see a flash of her red face before she fled. He was about to run after her when he realized someone in the audience was giving him a death glare before they took off after Sakura.

Shisui had happened upon Sakura in the middle of her dance and was immediately enchanted. He had just been planning to give her a new iPod and apologize. He had never expected her to completely seize his attention and hold it the way she did. He now knew why Itachi couldn't forget her. Still he was fairly sure it wouldn't affect him nearly as much. Oh how wrong he could be. He stayed till the end of the song only to find himself glaring at the singer for reasons he could not understand. Before he felt himself get any crazier he ran after Sakura still intent on giving her the new iPod. He went after her without knowing that he would be chasing her much more in the days to come.


End file.
